North American bats may be susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 — High Country News-Getting to the West

At the end of last year, after the first COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan, China, scientists rushed to uncover the cause of the disease. Studies show that the virus responsible for COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, probably occurred in horseshoe bats in China and leapt to another animal and spread to humans. Now, researchers are ironically concerned that humans could infect SARS-CoV-2 with its new host, the North American bat. If the virus turns out to be deadly, this is bad news for bats. And if bats can send the virus back to people, that’s bad news for humans.

As the virus continues to spread nationwide, scientists are stepping up efforts to protect local bats. “Soon after, the researchers began to ask, “Does our bat have this? If not, can we give it to them?” Montana Said Lauri Hanauska Brown, who is head of the Non-Game Wildlife Management Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

This spring, experts in areas such as virology and wildlife disease evaluated whether SARS-CoV-2 harmed North American bats, which contained more than 40 species. Results released in June indicate that the virus can spread from humans to bats. However, there are still many questions that scientists must answer to protect these animals from potentially deadly viruses.

Bats have a reputation for being a virus store. Professional immune system They can carry the virus without getting sick. Most of these viruses, including many types of coronaviruses, have evolved with animals Millions of years.. However, new viruses can harm bats. As a result, scientists are concerned that North American bats may be more susceptible to SARS-CoV-2. It can be infected by humans handling bats and entering cave bodies.

To better understand the risks posed by SARS-CoV-2, a panel of scientists from the US Geological Survey, the US Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the nonprofit EcoHealth Alliance has recently produced an assessment report. Scientists use their expertise to show that human researchers, wildlife rehabilitators, and pest managers can infect bats between now and the hibernation season, and that infected bats can cause the virus to descend. Answered questions such as the speed of spread. They estimate that 50% of bats handled by researchers who actively shed the virus may be exposed to disease, with 17%. May be infected.. Furthermore, when a virus is introduced, there is a 33% chance that the virus will spread within the population of bats.

Researchers have found that wearing protective equipment such as masks and gloves reduces the likelihood of virus circulation by about 95%.

Fortunately, there are several ways to stop the spread. Researchers have found that wearing protective equipment such as masks and gloves reduces the likelihood of virus circulation by about 95%. However, this evaluation has many limitations. For example, only one species (small brown bats) is considered and only during the active season when the bats are not hibernating. Researchers like Hanauska Brown often make contact with bats that animals hibernate during the winter. In the meantime, it is unclear whether the infection is likely.

Researchers have also been limited by the lack of general information about how SARS-CoV-2 is transmitted between humans and animals. “We know some animals— For example, a cat — May be naturally (probably SARS-CoV-2) infected. “Erica Schumacher, an outreach veterinarian at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said, “but there is little research on the bat virus, From Germany The laboratory has suggested that fruit bats may be susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Without knowing how North American bats react to the virus, it is difficult to identify the extent to which it is a major threat.

This is not the first time a bat illness has occurred in the United States From Eastern Canada to TexasThe entire colony has been wiped out in some areas. The first fungus that causes white nose syndrome was discovered This June in eastern Montana.. Scientists like Hanauska Brown are watching the expanse with the help of local caves, including Ian Cheche, chairman of the cave club called Northern Rocky Mountain Grotto. “We go to the cave and pretend we are detectives. Why did that happen?'” He said. “We are pushing science further,” Hanauska-Brown plans to contact the cave if biologists need to perform fieldwork on SARS-CoV-2. And if the cave explorer sees something unusual like a sick bat during the excursion, they notify the researchers.

Meanwhile, researchers in Montana and many other states Bat capture or handling.. In such limited research, scientists have based many of their risk management responses on many uncertainties, Hanauska Brown said. “Until we get more information, we need to be very careful and not endanger ourselves or our bats.”

Helen Santoro is a freelance science journalist and former HCN editorial fellow based in Gunnison, Colorado. Follow her @helenwsantoro.. Email High country news so [email protected] Or submit Letter..